Method of assembly of pressed-metal automobile doors



Aug. 26, 1930. J. LEDWINKA 1,773,313

METHOD OF ASSEMBLY OF PRESSED METAL AUTOMOBILE DOORS Filed June 13. 1928 2 Sheets Sheet 1 FIG. 8

IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEY.

qosEPH LEDWWKAI Aug. 26, 1930.

J. LEDWINKA METHOD OF ASSEMBLY OF PRESSED METAL AUTOMOBILE DOORS Filed June 13, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 9.

' HG. l5.

, I INVENTDR. JOSEPH LEDWWK A TTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 26, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

mm mnwmxa, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'ro EDWARD e.

IBUDD MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF

PORA'IION OF PENNSYLVANIA PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A. COR- METHOD OF ASSEMBLY OFPRESSED-METAI: AUTOMOBILE DOORS Application filed June 13,

The invention relates to a method of assembly of all metal doors and particularly=to a method of assembly of such doors made from pressed metal, as shown, for example, in an application Serial No. 230,703, filed by applicmt for automobile door, November 3, 192 L Y which reduces the'number of joining operations, and which produces a door built up out of relatively thin gauge sheet metal stampings, which is very strong, durable and rigid and not likely to develop looseness of joints or other defects common in composite doors after a period of use. I v

I attain this object by forming the parts with such marginal conformations that they may be readily joined together largely by crimping operations aided by relatively few spot welding operations.' The order. in

which the parts are joined together also contributes to ease of handling in moving them 5 from operationto-operation and in'jigging them on the operations for the work to be performed thereon. The method of joinder by crimping the edge of one part over the adj acent-edge of the other does away in large part with numerous welding operations necessary in practical all steel vdoors of prior construction.- The production of the door almost wholly of four main stampings, of course, also greatly reduces the number of joining operations, and the smoothing and polishing operations which are in some cases a necessary 7 requiring, where oining by weldingis large-- 1y resorted to.

In the accompanying drawings is shown a method of assembly of a door oftheclass described made up of but four main stampings.

In these Fig. 1 shows the two stampings' forming the glass run channel structure ex- 1928. Serial N0. 284,938.

tending around the window opening in unassembled relation.

Fig. 2 shows them assembled to form the glass run channel structure, and indicating the method of assembly by spot welding.

Fig. 4 shows the second stage of the assembly in which inner panel stamping is combined with the glass run channel structure shown in Fig. 2.

Figs. 5,6 and 7 "are detail sectional views taken, respectively, on the lines 5- 5, 6-6 and 7-7 of Fig. 4 showing the method of joining of the inner panel stamping with the glass run channel unit by spot-welding.

Fig. 8 represents the-unit shown in Fig. 4 and the-outer panel brought together for assembly, as seen from the outside.

Figs. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 are sectional Fig. 3 is a detail sectional View on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

views taken along the line 99 of Fig. 8 showing various stages of the assembly operation 1 between the outer and inner panels and the glass run channel unit.

Fig. 15 is an inside view of the completely assembled door.

In the door assembled by the novel method of assembly of my invention, theglass run channel structure is built up of two unitary stampings 10 and 11 each extending completely around the window opening. -The lnner stamping 10 is formed at the sides with transverse flanges 12 and the outer stamping 11 has correspondingflanges 13. When the parts 10 and 1-1 are brought together, as in a suitable welding jig, the flanges 12 and 13 overlap each other and are then readily joined by spot welding operations, as clearly indicated in Figs. 2 and 3.

The inner panel stamping 14 which forms in addition, the transversejamb'rail 15 of the door provided at its outeredge with a transverse door overlap'flange 16 and the 1 with an offset intermediate itsedges providjun ing a shoulder portion 18. The outer stamping 11 of the glass run channel structure is provided on the lock side with a flan e 19 aving an edge flange 20, flange 19 eing 5 adapted to be joined'to portion 18 when the arts are brought together, as in an assemly jig, to the positions shown in Figs. 4 to 7, inclusive. The combined structure 10, 11 and the inner panelstamping'l l are so con- 19 formed, as will be readily apparent from the above referred to figures, that they nestwvith each other and one falls right into the other when they are brought together. When so nested andlocked in nested relation, as in a 5 jig, they are joined by spot welding at the hinge side, as indicated in Fig. 5, through the bottom of the glass run channel 12, 13 and the transverse jamb rail portion 15 of the inner panel; at the lock side, as indicatedin Fig. 6 through the portions 18 and 19 and at the top, where the transverse jamb rail portidn of the inner panel is slotted,as at 20', to permit theinsertion and removal of a sliding window glass and the upper channel-section portions of inner and outer glass run stampings 10 and 11 are spaced the Width of this slot and facetoward eachother, by spot welding the upper side walls of the channels to the transverse jam rail portion '15 of the 80 inner panel. This can readily be accomplished by having one of the electrodes hookshaped, as shown in Fig. 7 and entered through the slot: 20', with its hook shaped ,end engaging the inside of the channel side wall of the glass run structure in opposed relation to an outer electrode.

It will be noted that all the welding op;-

erations' are rendered easily accessible and performable bytreason of the eneral open- 0 ness of the joints made possible y this meth-' of assembly, and furthermore, the joining operations are'made in places Where the weld marks do not appear in places where they are normally visible, so that no special operations are needed to elface the marks.

After the inner panel stamping has been so joined to the glass run channel 10, 11 by spotwelding, the sub-assembly unit so formed is' brought into assembled relation with the outer panel stamping 21 inthe manner shown in Figs. Sand 9, as in a suitableassembly jig. In this relation, the outer edge'flange' 16 of the inner panel stamping seats within T the angle formed by the body of the .outer panel stamping and a transversely extending peripheral flange 22; The peripheral portions of the outer and inner panels are then readily oined by simply crimping down the flange 22 on the one over the flange 16 of the other as indicated in Figs, 10 and 11, Fig. 10 showing the flange 22 turned down at a 45 angle just prior to the final crimping operation in which it isfirmly crimped down upon ,Hthe flange 16, as shown in Fig. 10. This crimping operation may be performed inc.

single operatiomall around the door or'in'a succession of operations, but preferably, in order to reduce the number of operations, in a suitable die (press at a single operation. The crimpe joinder may be reinforced by an additional spot welding of the crimped together flanges at a few spots as indicated by the weld marks in Fig. 15 and the showing in Fig. 14. This welding may be done before or after the operations oining the inner and outer panels to the glass rununit at the margin of the window opening.

, The joinde'r of the outer and inner panels to the glass run channel frame is effected by a crimping operation in which; the laterally extendlng flanges 23 and 24, which are extended around the window opening on the inner' and outer stampings 10 and 11, respectively, of the glass run channel structure, are crimped over the adjacent and corresponding flanges 17. and 17' on the outer and inner panels, respectively. This operation is repre sented in two stages in Figs. 12 and 13, in the first stage, the flanges 23 and 24 are turned down through approximately 45 as indicated in Fig. 12, and are then-finally'crimped down upon the'fianges 17 and 17. in the final stage, as shown in Fig. 13.. It will be understood that a suitable backing die as'25 is inserted in the glass run to support the joints from the inside'during' the crimping operations. These crimping operations may be performed in successive perations, or single die pressing operation.

Thesteps of crimping are facilitated and a verv secure locked clamped joinder is efi'ected by the fact that shoulders 26 are formed in the glass run' channel stampingslO and 11 and these aid in positioning the parts in assembly and cooperate with the crimped down edges 23 and24of the stampings 10 and 11 in securely locking the edges of the crimped preferably, by a" together parts against relative movement. A

similar shoulder'27 with a similar function is provided adjacent the miter periphery of the outer panel "to provide .a more secure between the outer and inner panels. While the'particular method of door as j oinder sembly described herein have,proven very rapid and eflicient in operation, and one which results in a very strong, durable door sheet metal stock, it-will be understood that the number of operations and the order of,

steps may be varied somewhatlin ways which -will be evident to those -skilledih the art, and

I desire toinclude such variations within the desire to secure by Lett r although made of relatively light. gauge.

he method of assembly of-sheet metal I opening to form the window glass run, and the subsequent assembly therewith and with each other of inner and outer panel stampings also extending around the window open ing to form the complete door.

2. The method of assembly of sheet metal doors havinga window opening therein, comprising the assembly by welding of two opposed stampings extending around the window opening to form-the window glass run, the subsequent partial assembly of said window glass run with an inner panel stamping, and the final completeassembly of said in-' her panel stamping with the glass run and an outer panel stamping, the outer panel stamping being also joined to the glass run in said final assembly.

3. The method of assernbly of sheet metal doors having a window opening therein comprising the assembly first of two opposed stampings to form a window glass run extending around the window opening, and thereafter assembling with said window glass run, an inner panel stamping also extending around said opening. I

4:. The method of assembly of sheet metal doors having a w ndow opening therein comprising the assembly of two opposed stampings each extending entirely around the window openmgto form a glass run unit extending entirely around the window openinm. and

the subsequent assembly therewith of inner and outer panel stampings also extending entirely around the window opening by crimping together the adiacent edges of the outer and inner panels and said glass run unit in the margins of said opening.

doors having a window opening therein and comprising a unitary panel forming one side and the transverse jamb faces of the door, and a glass run channel stamping both extending around the window openin which consists in joining said panel and g ass run channel stamping by crimping their adj acentedges in the margins of the window opening one over the other, and in joining the outer margin of said glass run channel stam ing to the transverse jamb face portion 0 the panel stamping, as by welding.

Intestimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

JOSEPH LEDWINKA.

5. The method of assembly of sheet metal doors having a window opening therein and comprised of inner and outer panels and a glass run structure. each extending completelv around the windowopening. consistingin the joining of theglass run unitto the 1nner panel by crimpinrfil the margins of the window opening, and by welding in their out-er margins. and the joining of the outer panel to the glass run unit'also bycrimping panel and glass run channel stamping by crimping their adjacent edges together entirely around the margins of the window 1 opening and the jamb face portion of the panel to an arm of said angular glassrun channel stamping.

7. The method of assembly of sheet metal 

